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Step-by-step guide · Phones & tablets

Phone storage full? Free up space on iPhone or Android

Last reviewed: October 2026, against Apple, Google and Samsung support pages · For iPhone, iPad, Android and Samsung Galaxy.

Your phone says Storage Almost Full, won't take photos, or won't install an update. Your phone can show you exactly what's using the space. Look first, then remove the biggest things you don't need. Back up your photos before you delete any.

Just want the 2-minute version? See our tip Phone storage full? What to clear first.

⚡ The short version

  1. See what's using space in Settings (steps below).
  2. Back up photos and videos, then remove the copies on the phone.
  3. Offload or uninstall apps you don't use. You can get them back for free.
  4. Delete big downloads, like saved videos and music.

iPhone and iPad

  1. See what's using space

    Go to Settings → General → iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage). Wait for the list to load. It shows each app and how much space it uses, with categories like Photos, Messages and Apps.

  2. Use the recommendations

    At the top, tap Show All. Read each recommendation, then tap Enable to turn it on, or tap it to review what you can delete.

  3. Offload or delete apps

    Tap an app in the list. Offload App frees the space the app uses but keeps its documents and data. Delete App removes the app and its data.

  4. Remove big videos and other content

    Apple suggests removing content such as videos and apps when you see the Storage Almost Full alert. Back up photos first. See Move photos from your phone to your computer.

You don't need a “cleaner” app. Apple says your iPhone removes cached and temporary files by itself when it needs more space.

Android

Google's steps are for Android phones like Pixel. Some steps need Android 14 or later, and menus vary by phone maker. Samsung steps are below.

  1. See what's using space

    Open Settings → Storage and tap a category.

  2. Free up space

    Tap Storage → Free up space, scroll to a category, tap Select files, pick what to remove and tap Move files to Trash. Items in Trash may still use space until they're permanently deleted.

  3. Remove photos you've backed up

    If you back up with Google Photos, you can delete the copies on your phone and still see them in the Google Photos app when you're online.

  4. Uninstall or archive apps

    Uninstall apps you don't use. Google says you can download them again later, and you don't pay again for apps you bought. You can also let the Play Store archive apps you rarely use: in the Play Store app, tap your profile picture, then Settings → General, and turn on Automatically archive apps. Your data in the app is kept.

  5. Clear an app's cache (carefully)

    Clear cache removes temporary files and is safe. Clear storage permanently deletes all of that app's data, so Google says to try deleting things inside the app first.

Samsung Galaxy

  • Clean your storage: go to Settings → Device care → Storage, tap a category like Images or Videos, select files, tap Delete, then Move to Trash. Files in Trash still use space. To remove them for good, open Gallery → Menu → Trash → More options → Empty → Delete. Only do this once your photos are backed up.
  • Clear an app's cache: Settings → Apps, pick the app, tap Storage, then Clear cache.

Menu names vary by model and software version.

Messages not sending? Google says Google Messages may not send or receive until there's more space. Freeing space can fix that too. See Not getting texts or calls.

Sources

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